Family Secret
by WhiteIce
Summary: Meet Iriel. She's gorgeous, smart and spunky. But the reason she came to MODE is going to turn everyone's life upside down. Betty's going to have her hands full.
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

**Hey! There is an important question about the story's future romance (don't worry people it's not going to be all romance). Would you please answer it! I'm sorry, but I don't want people bashing me for a couple if no one gave me any opinion on it (but it would be a fun couple to write).**

**This is 2 weeks after the Season 1 finale, people. Santos is dead and Alexis and Daniel are still in the hospital. People know that Claire has broken out of prison, but have no idea where she is. Amanda and Christina pretend that their night in Fey's closet never happened.**

_**I do not own Ugly Betty ………..even though I should. **_

Betty might not have even noticed the girl if not for her behavior.

She was tall, and looked to be around 13-14 with dark brown hair and inviting gray eyes. She walked with an air of pride around her, but yet with caution. Betty noticed her as Amanda taunted her by Daniel's office, with her usual kindness.

"If you're going to stand there with those dated clothes, at least hide yourself!"

Betty looked up from her work and saw Amanda standing with there with the girl, who was lingering around Daniel's office.

"Why should I hide, I have every right to be here!"

_There _was something you didn't see everyday. Someone standing up to Amanda. But she was, back straight, trying to stretch her legs to reach Amanda's height. As Betty got up closer, she could see the girl's eyes fiercely gleaming.

"Um…….Hi, can I help you?" She tried to get the girl's attention off of Amanda, afraid it would be a repeat of the "Betsey Johnson Dress" incident. Amanda and Tracy from Styles were limping for weeks- and the dress was torn to pieces.

"Yes, I need to see Daniel Meade, please." The girl's gray eyes were piercing, yet soft as she turned from Amanda and looked at Betty.

"I'm sorry, he-he's not in right now." Betty had suddenly found her eyes watering at the sound of Daniel's name.

"You mean he's not back from the hospital?" The girl was intently disappointed.

"What- You don't know that he's in a coma right now? Besides, why would he want to see _you_?" Amanda smirked.

"Thank you." Was all the girl said to Betty, and walked away. But then she doubled back and firmly jammed her loafer onto Amanda's brand new shoes. Then quickly ran off again.

"If I ever see that brat again……….." Amanda growled as she attempted to clean the scuff marks off of her shoe and limp back to her desk.

However, they did see a lot of her during the next few weeks, or at least Betty did. The girl always seemed to be snooping around somewhere. Either she was a new intern, or a fashion psycho.

One night, though, Betty changed her opinions completely.

She had stayed late at MODE because Hilda wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Justin about Santos. Betty's poor nephew had been having a pretty harsh time without his father, and it was up to Hilda to try and see him through. Betty always found that the certain "talks" include lots of crying and shouting, and for Justin and Hilda's sake, tried to stay out of the way.

She was rummaging about in her purse, seeing if she had enough money for a cab, when she heard a thump. It sounded like it was coming from behind the huge circle sign that read MODE. But nothing was behind that, right?

Betty, determined, scoured the entire floor until she came to the closet. Being one of the last people at MODE that night, she thought that maybe Christina was having one of her drunken rants again. She was just about to start searching when she heard a creak, and looked around.

There she was again, this time coming out of a door, that was disguised as a wall of shoes!

"What are you doing!" Betty's voice sounded loud in the emptiness of MODE.

The girl looked stunned for a moment, but then simply stood up tall and said, "Well, if you have to know, I'm getting ready for bed."

"What?!" Betty said.

The girl's gray eyes flashed, and she looked like she was making a split second decision out of panic.

"Listen, I've noticed you seem pretty loyal to Daniel, and you seem trustworthy too……Can I trust you with a secret?" She looked uncertain.

Betty nodded, and the girl pulled a trigger that made the door open again. Both of them scampered through the door, and entered a room.

It looked like a dungeon, and had many suitcases piled in the corner. Betty could see a dresser where various shirts and pants were arranged, and on a table was pictures of every person at MODE, along with notes.

The girl sat down on a luxurious bed, and motioned for Betty to do also. When finally, they were both sitting side by side, the girl started.

"My name is Iriel Honor Sommers Meade."

**Well, there you go. I might incorporate Season 2 (when it comes out) into my story. Also, there is a rumor Justin could be getting a girlfriend this season on the show. This has given me the idea of making Iriel and Justin a couple. They might make a good couple, once her character is defined a little more. But if you guys don't like the idea of Justin and a girlfriend, then I'll do something else.**


	2. Chapter 2: One More Secret

_**I don't own Ugly Betty…….yet. (Evil Laugh) Just kidding!**_

_**Trivia: Iriel's name was originally supposed to be Honor, because that's one of her morals and the way she acts. However, Honor seemed to be too upfront, and was changed to the middle name.**_

"My name is Iriel Honor Sommers Meade." The girl closed her eyes and paused before going on. It seemed to be painful for her to continue with her story.

"I am the daughter of Bradford Meade and Fey Sommers. My father has no idea that he ever had me. When my mother found out, she tried to protect me. She told Bradford that she had to go on a project for MODE for a few months. After she had me, she gave me to a friend of the family, a heiress named Rose Toanly who wanted a child, but couldn't have one. Rose was supposed to tell me what had happened on my 15 birthday, but a few months ago, she got really sick. A week before she died, she told me everything, and I decided to go and find my real family. That was 8 weeks ago. At first I was staying in a hotel, but when I saw someone going into this room, I thought it would make more sense to stay here. I'm trying to find out everything I can about my real family. I've been spying on you guys for a while now."

As the girl, or Iriel, took a deep breath, Betty managed to get out. "But what about your guardians?"

"Rose's parents passed away, and she doesn't have any siblings. She retreated from most of her friends so as to keep me a secret for Fay. In fact, she doesn't have anyone as my guardian. I'm a free woman." Iriel tried to smile, but it was thin lipped and tight.

"I inherited everything of Rose's, so I had the money to travel to New York. I really don't think anyone knows she's dead. The illness happened so suddenly we both thought it just a bad flu and would be over soon." Iriel's voice cracked. "I never knew it was serious until she didn't wake up one morning. She was dead. Rose knew it was coming though, that's why she told me."

Betty simply just sat there. Just when she thought the Meade family had enough secrets and problems. But still, she couldn't help but look at the way that her hair was a dark rich brown, much like Daniel's. She could believe that Iriel came from the Meade family because she looked like a model, much like Daniel and Alexis. Any teenaged boy that was around Iriel probably would have dropped dead.

"I……..I can't believe this." Betty was stammering.

"Believe this." The girl reached into a pile of papers and pulled out a birth certificate that truly identified her as Bradford and Fey's daughter.

Betty's hands trembled as she picked up the papers and stared. Yes, she really was Bradford's daughter, and Fey's too. This was going to kill Mrs. Meade…………Claire!

Her eyes opened wide and she said, "Do you really think you're safe here? What if Mrs. Meade comes after you? And you can't live here forever! What about school? What if you get sick? What's going to happen then?"

Iriel didn't move for a moment, until finally she gave a small chuckle and stood up. She still had a grin on her face as she moved around the room.

"What? This isn't funny!" Betty was beginning to get the sense that she was a female Daniel.

"No, it's just……..You're reacting just the way I expected you to." Iriel was looking at her in faint admiration. "Always thinking about my family. The Meade's come first. Faithful Betty."

Seeing Betty's look of astonishment, Iriel said, "What, you think I've only been watching Daniel and Alexis? No, I've been watching you too, and you're the reason I've stayed around so long."

"What?"

"I needed to make contact with someone that was close to Daniel, someone that would listen to my side of the story before throwing me out, or pretending I didn't even exist."

"Oh, come on." Iriel said, cutting Betty off as she opened her mouth. "Alexis would have tried to kill me, you know how much she hates Fey and her father, and I've read the stories, Daniel acted like Alexis was just a bad dream."

At this Iriel's eyes soften considerably. In a soft voice she said, "You're the only one that can help me."

Betty closed her eyes. She couldn't do this, not now! For once in her life she had to say no! Not with Claire out of prison, Santos shot, Alexis in intensive care and Daniel in a coma………

Daniel.

She had to do this for Daniel. It would be her way of making things right. If she couldn't watch out for Daniel she could at least take care of Iriel.

Finally, her eyes and mouth opened and she said, "All right."

Iriel smiled brilliantly. "Great, now the first thing we've got to do is talk to a family member of mine of mine that isn't in a coma, a monster or…………….on the lam."

"You want to talk to Bradford?" Betty couldn't picture him being anymore understanding about a unknown daughter than about Alexis' return from the dead.

"What did you think I meant when I said monster? Nope, I need to talk to Amanda."

**_Second chapter up! Tell me what you think of Iriel, and I've decided to not make the Justin/Iriel relationship happen. I don't think it would be very faithful to the show. I don't feel that's what the producers or writers of Ugly Betty would do._**

**_-WhiteIce_**


	3. Chapter 3: Sisters

**I don't own Ugly Betty. But if I did, whole episodes would be devoted to Amanda and Mark. Sorry Betty.**

* * *

Iriel walked into Betty's house with an expression of mingled interest and delight. She was lugging a few of the suitcases that she had brought from MODE with her. Betty came in behind her, carrying five more.

"Couldn't you have brought a little less clothes with you?" Betty asked, finally dumping the suitcases and wiping her sweaty bangs.

"Hey, I'm not fashion obsessed, but I have no clue when I'm going back to Rose's house to get the rest of my stuff. I need to be prepared." She said, flushing a bit as she looked at all the suitcases. "Really, you don't have to do this, I'd be just as comfortable as in the Love Dungeon."

"Yeah, I'm really about to let a fourteen year old girl stay in a place called the Love Dungeon." Betty quipped.

"Actually, I'm going to turn fifteen in a few month." Iriel interjected.

Betty's eyebrows shot up. "Fifteen?"

"Yeah, but people say that my face makes me look younger." And she did have a slightly baby shaped face that, despite her curved figure and tall height, gave off a younger appearance. "Rose said that my mom had it when she was my age, and I'll grow out of it, but it's still irritating." Iriel was interrupted when she heard someone coming down the stairs. Hilda was standing at the foot of the stairs, mouth open with Justin coming fast behind her.

"Betty?" Hilda asked, then stopped as she saw Iriel and her luggage. "Who is this?"

"Hilda, this is Iriel. Iriel, this is Hilda, my sister." At this the brunette strode forward to shake Hilda's hand. Hilda still just stared at her, mouth open.

"That shirt is fabulous." Iriel turned in surprise to see Justin.

"Thank you." She said, looking down at the shirt. "Blue's my favorite color."

"Oh no." Justin shook his head vigorously. "With your hair, you should go for something like green or white. I personally would have said that the shirt would have looked the best in red, but maybe a dark green would have been the best."

As he and Iriel began to talk, Hilda grabbed Betty's elbow and steered her away from the chatting heiress and her son. "Betty, what the heck are you thinking?!" She snapped. "Who the heck is this little kid?"

"Actually, she's almost fifteen." But under Hilda's unusually stern glare, she wilted. "She's Daniel's little sister. Hilda, she's hiding out in MODE. I couldn't leave her there alone. Her foster mother just died." At this, Hilda's stare softened slightly. She and Betty still felt the pain that had come when their mother had died. Then she looked suspicious.

"Wait, are you just doing this because you feel guilty that Daniel's in the hospital and you think it's all your fault?" Hilda put her hands on her hips. "Betty, you didn't make him take the drugs."

"Hilda, I could have helped him. Alexis said that he was planning to kill himself." Her eyes blurred up. "If I had just been there for him… I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

"Betty…" Hilda sighed, then stopped and looked over at Iriel. She was rapidly talking with Justin, who was smiling and - was he actually laughing? Hilda hadn't seen Justin laugh since Santos had died. She turned back to Betty. "She can take the guest room."

* * *

The next day, at around five in the afternoon Iriel and Justin (who along with Hilda had been told the whole story) walked into MODE. Iriel skipped delightedly up to Betty's desk, with Justin following behind, taking second glances at everything.

"Are you ready to do this Betty?" Iriel asked, looking happy and slightly worried at the same time.

"Ready." Betty got up from her desk and the three walked over to Amanda, who was just getting ready to leave.

Amanda was going through her things when she looked up and noticed Iriel standing at her desk. "Hey, you're the brat that ruined my shoes! You own me a hundred and ten dollars!"

Iriel didn't even miss a beat. "Amanda, I watched you steal those shoes from the closet, along with five other pairs. So give it a rest, will you?"

Betty decided to intervene. "Amanda, can we talk with you in private? It's something important about Daniel, and we really don't want anyone else to know." Betty knew she had played her cards right as Amanda swelled up with pride at being told a secret and feeling important. She also did have some feelings, if not romantic, left for Daniel, so Betty was sure she would be happy to go with them.

Just like Betty thought, Amanda swaggered out from behind the responsit's desk, following Betty, Justin and Iriel to the closet, where Christina had already left for the night.

Amanda grabbed five pairs of shoes, stuffed them in her purse, and turned to face Betty. "What do you want?"

"So polite." Iriel muttered under her breath, getting a warning look from Betty, and a sneer from Amanda.

"What is she doing here anyway?" Amanda asked.

Betty let out a nervous chuckle. "Funny you should ask that."

"I'm your half sister." Iriel stated, hands on hips, and face in a determined grimace.

"Iriel! What did we talk about _easing_ her into the news?" Betty squeaked.

"Yeah - What?" Amanda looked from Betty to Iriel.

"Oh great, we lost her already." Iriel muttered. She took out her birth certificate and threw it to Amanda, who flinched away from it like it was a diseased animal. She picked it up, dangling it between two fingers. Her face was impassive as she read the document, then promptly ripped it up. Betty spluttered and Iriel rolled her eyes and took out another piece of paper.

"_This_ is my real birth certificate. I kind of figured that you'd freak out about this." Amanda lunged for it and Iriel casually flicked her wrist upwards, so that Amanda fell and laid sprawled on the floor.

"When you get over your mental breakdown and figure out that the world doesn't revolve around you, call me, we'll talk." Iriel twinkled her fingers cheerfully at Amanda, and she walked smoothly out of the Closet, Justin trailing her.

Amanda got up and rooted around in her purse for something. "C'mon, where is it?" Giving up, she dumped the whole thing out, finally grabbing her cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Betty asked, desperately hoping that the answer wouldn't be Bradford or her lawyer.

"The only person who can put sense in the world again. Hello, Mark?"

"NO!" Before she knew what she was doing, Betty grabbed the cell phone out of Amanda's hand and whipped it at the wall.

"What did you do?!" Amanda screamed, scrambling to find the remains of her broken phone.

"If you tell Mark, he'll tell Wilhelmina. She'll hurt Iriel!" Betty cried, imagining the things the future Mrs. Bradford Meade could and would do to Iriel.

"Good!" Amanda yelled, looking like she meant it.

"Amanda, think about this. I know you don't know her, but don't you want what's best for Daniel? You can't help him if you don't help Iriel!"

"And how exactly do I know she's good for Daniel?" Amanda said.

Betty paused. "Just give her a chance. She came to me instead of Wilhelmina, so that's a good sign. Please Amanda, are you really going to turn in your little sister?"

At the words "little sister" Amanda's face froze. In just a second, Betty could emotions of all kind play out on her face, then it froze once again and closed up in the next second. She rose up, grabbed her things and then came nose to nose with Betty. "I'd never thought I'd say this, but you'd better be right. If that girl turns out to be nothing but trouble, then it's off to Wilhelmina she goes." And with that, Amanda turned to walk out of the room.

As she was halfway to the door, Betty called out, "Can you at least call Iriel by her name? Or are you going to pretend she doesn't even exist?"

Amanda just kept on walking.

* * *

Yes, I haven't update in a long time, but I finally have fleshed out more parts of this story! Up next: Christina shows up, Iriel finds a surprising talent, and a new janitor comes to work for MODE (yes, this will be important). Until next time,

_WhiteIce_


End file.
